Mental Health Check

How are you doing?

Take a minute and think about that question before answering and be honest with yourself.

Recent times have been, to reuse an overused word, unprecedented. We’ve been faced with a global health crisis, and that has in turn led to mass changes in our way of lives and our ways of working. There is also a mass of unknowns, monetary challenges, global turmoil and so much noise.

Making time to perform a regular mental health check on yourself is more important now than ever. Media reports of a “Mental Health Timebomb” may sound over-dramatic but are sadly not an exaggeration.

What to ask yourself in a Mental Health Check

Before I go ahead here I need to say that I’m not a psychiatrist, psychologist, or trained counsellor. I am simply sharing from my own experiences and research. The first port of call in all instances of mental health should be a medical expert or mental health charity. If you ever find yourself with any thoughts of self-harm or suicide then stop reading this now and reach out to a professional, please!

With that said, there are some questions that you ask yourself to check your own mental wellbeing. Just remember to be honest with yourself as there is nothing to be gained by shrugging things off and pretending all is well.

🛌💤 How well are you sleeping? Are you having problems getting to sleep or remaining asleep? Or are you finding yourself wanting to sleep too much?

😡 Have you been getting easily irritable or tetchy? Are you quick to anger?

🍴 Has your appetite changed recently – eating more or less than normal?

🍺🍷 Are you drinking more alcohol than usual?

😟 Do you find yourself feeling nervous, uneasy, or even scared lately?

❓ Are you questioning yourself more than normal? Doubting your skills and abilities? Wondering about your own self-worth and purpose?

😨 Are there particular things or situations that trigger stress or anxiety? Work life, home life, or other things?

The final question is – in answering those questions, have you been left feeling uneasy or upset, stressed or anxious?

If you answered yes to a bunch of those questions then firstly, don’t despair! Take time to consider your answers and ask yourself if these are a potential source of concern.

What to Do

To repeat the above, don’t despair! If you’ve been honest with yourself and identified areas of concern, then there are people and other things that can help.

If you answered yes to a lot of those questions please seek medical advice. You will receive great support and there are many courses of action that can be taken to help you. If you are reluctant to speak to a medical specialist, then reach out to any of the organisations listed at the bottom of this post.

Some things that you can do to help yourself are:

🔴 Do not try to deal with this on your own! I’ve made that mistake too many times, and think I’ve finally learnt my lesson. You cannot do this alone, and with that in mind…

💬 Talk to your Spouse/Partner or a close friend or family member. Getting support around you is crucial.

💬 Speak to your employers. Many have health and wellbeing support in place or can provide external support. They may also be able to look at your workload, hours, schedule etc and make adjustments to help you build back up again.

👉 Look after yourself! It might feel selfish to say “Look after number 1”, and that can sometimes lead to guilt, but see it as building yourself back up so that you are protecting yourself and those around you. We all need to recharge to keep moving forward, or even just to be able to tread water for a time.

🛑 STOP. If you are aware that things are piling up on you mentally, then stop. Don’t wait until you are at breaking point or beyond before taking action.

🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️ Go for a walk. Step away from the technology. BREATHE. It’s scientifically proven that going for a walk, or some form of exercise, improves your mental wellbeing – and I can testify to that one!

⏲ Take time each day just for you. I do this at the end of the day, where I will go and read or watch TV or listen to music/audiobooks. Do something just to allow you to pull all the pieces of you back into one place and to try to process and then let go of the stress.

There’s no shame in any of this! There’s nothing weak about dealing with mental health – the opposite in fact. Some of the strongest people I know are the ones who live with mental health battles. It’s a mantra worth remembering that “It is OK to not be OK”

All Important Links!

If any of this has resonated with you, and you want/need to reach out to an organisation, then here are some that I would definitely recommend. They are UK, but there are organisations all over the world. If you are struggling to find support, then please reach out to me and I will help you connect with someone!

🔗 Samaritans

🔗 Mind

🔗 The Hub of Hope – connecting you to local support.

🔗 CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably

To hear from other people in the Microsoft Community about topics such as Mental Health, please check out The Things We Don’t Talk About podcast. Sometimes just understanding that we are not alone, and that there are others out there, can be a real source of support and strength! You can also check out my other posts on the topic of Mental Health right here.